Building a contingent of “both red and expert” cadres is identified by the Border Guard's Party Committee and High Command as the “key” step of the “key” task, which has decisive significance for the Border Guard to excellently complete all tasks and be always the core force specialising in managing and protecting national borders and border areas.

National borders are sacred and inviolable. Managing and protecting national borders is the task of the entire Party, the entire people, the entire Army, and the entire political system, among which, the Border Guard plays a core and specialised role. Imbued with that, throughout 65 years of building, fighting, and growing, under the leadership of the Party, directly the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, generations of cadres and soldiers of the Border Guard have always been absolutely loyal to the Party and the Fatherland, devoted to the people, and upheld the spirit of revolutionary vigilance, cunning, and courage to overcome all difficulties and hardships to successfully complete tasks and preserve and protect every inch of the Fatherland’s sacred land. Furthermore, the Border Guard has also actively participated in construction and strengthening of the grassroots political system, socio-economic development, and improvement of people’s lives, contributing to building a strong all-people border guard and borders of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. The glorious victories and achievements of the Border Guard have been recognised by the Party, State, and People with many noble rewards.

Border Guards of Chi Ma Border Gate (Lang Son province) patrol with the locals

Currently, besides the multidimensional, complex, and unpredictable impacts of the world, regional, and domestic situations, hostile and reactionary forces are stepping up sabotage in all fields. On some border lines and areas, the activities of criminals are becoming more sophisticated, cunning, and active, especially drug crimes, weapons trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, cross-border trade fraud, etc. The above situation makes the work of protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security increasingly comprehensive, heavy, and complex. To complete the important responsibilities assigned by the Party, State, Army, and People, the Border Guard Party Committee and High Command focus on leading and directing the synchronous implementation of many solutions, among which building a contingent of “both red and expert” cadres is the “key” step of the “key” task, which has decisive significance, ensuring that the Border Guard is truly elite, compact, strong, and modern - a core force specialising in managing and protecting national sovereignty and border security. Core contents and solutions are as follows:

Firstly, to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Party’s views and principles on personnel work and building a contingent of cadres. This is both an orientation and a basic solution, aiming to concretise, “standardise”, and tighten disciplines in personnel work and building a contingent of cadres. Therefore, the Party Committee and High Command of the Border Guard require leaders and commanders at all levels to clearly realise that all issues regarding personnel work and management of cadres fall under the authority of party committees and organisations and are carried out under the principle of democratic centralism. The arrangement, placement, training, and fostering of cadres must ensure inheritance and development and must originate from the requirements, functions and tasks of the Border Guard. The emphasis must be placed on Resolution No.33-NQ/TW, dated 28 September 2018 of the Politburo (the 12^th Tenure) on the National Border Protection Strategy and the Vietnam Border Guard Law. To create a breakthrough in improving the comprehensive quality of this important work, party committees at all levels strengthen leadership, direction, and strict implementation of regulations and procedures on personnel work; closely combine ideological work, organisational work, and policies, promoting propaganda and education to create consensus and have high political determination; and focus on building a contingent of cadres with reasonable quantity and structure, strong political will, moral qualities, clean lifestyle, creative thinking ability, good leadership and command capacity, and increasingly high border guard professional qualifications and knowledge to meet task requirements in the new situation.

Secondly, to regularly foster, train, and improve revolutionary ethics for the cadres. Taking into account the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh that “Cadres are the root of all work”, the Border Guard’s Party Committee and High Command direct agencies and units to continue synchronously implementing groups of solutions to implement the Resolution of the 4^th Central Committee (the 13^th Tenure) on strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and the political system. In particular, the focus is on building party organisations at the grassroots, in sensitive areas, where negativity easily occurs... to be truly clean and strong. At the same time, attention is paid to directing party committees and commanders at all levels to strengthen measures to prevent and repel the deterioration of political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle and manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” internally; promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and style; well implementing Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021 by the Central Military Party Commission on promoting the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, resolutely combating individualism in the new situation, and regulations on modeling of cadres and party members, etc. to build a contingent of cadres, especially those in presiding and key positions at all levels, to be truly pioneering and exemplary in personality and lifestyle, and “honest, righteous, frugal, and diligent”; and promoting the spirit of “dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to be innovative and creative, dare to cope with difficulties and challenges, and dare to act for the common good”, be ready to accept difficult tasks, and be creative to perform assigned tasks well, especially in the fight against drugs and crimes, smuggling, trade fraud, handling of complex cases of security and order in border areas, etc.

Helping local children with studying

Thirdly, to build personnel planning towards meeting basic, long-term and, development requirements and tasks. The Border Guard’s Party Committee and High Command direct party committees and organisations at all levels to do a good job in planning, arranging, and using the right cadres according to Resolution No.230-NQ/TW, dated 02 April 2022 by the Central Military Commission regarding the leadership over the restructuring of the Vietnam People’s Army for the 2021 - 2030 period and beyond; Project titled “Organising the Border Guard for the 2017 - 2021 period and beyond”; and Conclusion No.845-KL/DU, dated 06 June 2023 of the Border Guard’s Party Committee Standing Commission on continuing to strengthen leadership, direction, and building of a contingent of cadres to meet the requirements in the new period; focus on building a contingent of cadres with reasonable quantity, structure, and high quality according to the criteria of each level, each sector, each field, and each position; regularly review and supplement planning for presiding cadres at all levels to ensure continuous, solid succession and overcome partial and closed ideology; and resolve regional imbalances, focusing on building a contingent of ethnic minority cadres. To be effective, party committees at all levels need to combine different forms and methods of evaluating cadres, ensuring fairness, objectivity, and democracy. In particular, the results of completing tasks of each cadre are taken into consideration for appointing, training, fostering, and challenging in the practical implementation of border guard work measures; resolutely remove unqualified, corrupt cadres from leadership, command, and management positions; and follow the principle of “job-based appointment”, ensuring a continuous and steady transition between generations of cadres.

Fourthly, to promote rotation to train, foster, forge, and challenge cadres in practice. Thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing Regulation No.1663-QĐ/QUTW, dated 21 December 2022 by the Central Military Party Commission “On the rotation of cadres in the Vietnam People’s Army”, the Border Guard’s Party Committee and High Command direct the agencies and units to uphold the responsibility of party committees, political commissars, political cadres, and commanders and maintain the principle of democratic centralism in the rotation of cadres between regions, agencies, units, and schools to train and improve the quality of the contingent of cadres. Political agencies at all levels coordinate with relevant agencies in well performing the role of advising and guiding implementation to ensure strictness, democracy, objectivity, openness, transparency, and fairness; resolutely prevent negativity in personnel work; diversify training forms according to cadres position standards, linking training with planning and use; and pay attention to training and fostering to improve the ability to grasp, evaluate, and forecast in- and out-border situations, level of management of borders, landmarks, land border gates, and sea border areas, coordination skills to prevent and fight crimes, natural disaster prevention and control, and search and rescue, mastery of weapons, equipment, vehicles, specialised tools, etc. thereby to build a contingent of cadres with good military expertise, knowledge of law, profession of border guard operations, and proficiency of foreign languages, especially those of neighbouring countries and ethnic minorities, implementing well the motto “Three adhering and Four-joining” in performing tasks.

Finally, to strengthen the inspection and supervision work. The Border Guard’s Party Committee and High Command direct party committees at all levels, especially heads of party committees (secretaries) and commanders of agencies and units, to strengthen comprehensive inspection and supervision with focuses on training, fostering, evaluating, planning, arranging, appointing, and mobilising cadres and the process of training and cultivating the ethics and lifestyle of each cadre and party member; actively innovate methods and forms to constantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of inspection and supervision; resolutely remove unworthy individuals who do not meet the standards and conditions or show signs of political opportunism or moral degradation from the planning of the contingent of cadres, especially those at the campaign and strategic levels; promptly detect and strictly discipline violators, cadres with partial, sectarian, “group interests” mindset, causing internal disunity, etc. to tighten disciplines in personnel work, creating strong changes in improving the ethics, culture, and professionalism of Vietnam Border Guard cadres.

Along with the above solutions, the Border Guard’s Party Committee and High Command direct agencies and units to well implement personnel policy work, with priorities for those with good academic research, and work achievements and regularly take care of material and spiritual life for cadres and cadre rear, creating motivation for cadres to feel secure in their work, strive, train, contribute, and adhere to the Army.

Building a contingent of “both red and expert” cadres is a political task that is both urgent and fundamental in the long term, requiring the Party Committee and commanders at all levels to be persistent, cautious, and democratic and promote positivity, initiative, and creativity in implementation in order to build an “elite, compact, strong, effective, and efficient” contingent of Vietnam Border Guard cadres to meet requirements and tasks in the new situation.

Lieutenant General NGUYEN ANH TUAN, Political Commissar of the Border Guard